Starting Off With A Great First Impression !! - By Rohit Manoharan

While the process of interviewing depends largely on the independent approach of the interviewer, there are few things that would make an immediate impact in case if you were to follow the same. 

Here are some handy tips on how you could make the interviewer think about giving you an upper edge over the others :

You need to make a conscious effort to smile when you enter the room and greet the person or people sitting in the room.

If possible try and get an understanding of how many people are there in the room.

This will help you decide sequence in which you would go ahead and greet them and also help you with the relevant eye contact

DO NOT sit down unless and until you are requested to, this shows good manners and etiquette

Hold out your hand in an open gesture for shaking and ensure that the hand is straight, at a 90 degree angle to the floor.

DO NOT tilt your hand inward or outward as that can reveal things about your personality which might begin to influence the interviewer even before you have started with the interview process

Once seated, thank the interviewer and ask him / her if you may share a copy of your CV with them ? Depending upon their answer take the next step.

DO NOT keep shuffling papers for long and make too much of noise around that activity as that might distract the interviewers and also lead to  certain level of irritation within them.

Once all of this is done, you are now ready to actually start with the interview process, keep your cool, stay steady, take a deep breath and start off with the process.

If you believe in yourself, you are bound to make a great impression, all the very best for that very important 1st interview of your life !!

Search 4 Excellence Consulting Services Inc.

Visit us @ www.search4excellence.com

ANALYSING ROOT EMOTIONS - By Shohrat Shankar

Emotional Intelligence is based on the principle of Emotional Awareness, along with others.

Being aware of one’s own emotions is critical for just about everything. From your Self Esteem to relations with others and your success and progress. In fact your happiness depends on how aware you are of your emotions. On how much you know and truly understand why you feel the way you feel.

In this article I plan to illustrate how Emotional Awareness impacts your Self Regard, Self-Actualization and thus everything else in your life.

Over the years I have conducted numerous workshops on “Relationship Management” where I have a short section on Emotional Awareness and many of my observations are from there.

Positive & Negative Emotions

I normally start the session with asking people to list some emotions. Before they start I ask for some examples and in 8 cases out of 10 I hear ‘Anger’ or ‘Fear’ being said first.

Most people are not able to list beyond 8 emotions. The most common ones are: Anger, Sadness, Fear, Happiness, Love, Joy, Frustration, irritation and Jealousy.

One thing I notice every time is that we tend to list more negative emotions than positive, sadly often “Love” comes in way down on the list. I often wonder why it is so and on delving further and asking people I found that people tend to register the negative emotions they feel while mostly ignoring the positive feelings in the day. 

You might have noticed, when you asked somebody how their day went you will either hear a neutral response “OK” or if somebody had a bad day then they will say it. The percentage of people who say they’ve had a ‘great day’ is relatively smaller, in fact it takes a major positive event for most people to say they had a “Great Day”, on the other hand, it doesn’t take much for people to label the day “Bad”. Is it true that most of our days are either “Bad” or “OK” and very few “Great”? Or is it more likely that we tend not to register the small positive emotions that we feel in a day?

So 2 important factors to remember are:

• “Am I focusing on enough positive things around me or only the negative emotions?”

• “Do I register the small-small nice things or positives that people do or do I fixate on the few things that they did not do?”

The answer to these questions tells me whether I look for Happiness and positivity in whatever I do. It tells me whether I am a happiness magnet or not.

Root Emotions

The second thought I drive is the need to understand and analyse the real reason or cause for my emotion. Similar to doing a root cause analysis in, it is often important to do the same for our behaviour and emotions. Let me try and illustrate with an example.

Let’s say that in a meeting with my colleagues and boss a task is assigned to me and immediately a colleague of mine asks if I need any help. Citing an example where I had failed in a situation when I had done it on my own.

Now many people here would be happy and graciously accept or decline the offer. However, some people would get upset and feel there was an underlying reason for the colleague to offer support in front of the boss.

Some might feel he was doing it to appear like a good team player in front of the boss and others might think he wanted to put me down in front of the others. 

The important thing for me to analyse is “Why” or “What” is making me feel that way? What is the real reason for the reaction?

In order to understand my root or real reason for reacting I need to look at the following A-B-C-C model.

A – Activating event (Colleague offers to help)

B – Belief (He’s trying to put me down, He’s trying to show his competence over mine in front of the boss)

C – Consequence (I react and get upset either in the meeting room or later start to distance myself from the colleague)

C – Challenge 

In order for me to change the Consequence I need to Challenge & Understand my beliefs and the cause for my belief.

When challenging I need to ask myself, Am I sure he is trying to put me down? Does he do this often? Does he also sometimes just willingly offer his hand in assistance? Have I seen him doing this with others?

The answers to these questions will help one rationalise the beliefs and one might realise that probably he could really want to help.

Then it is important to understand the reason for your beliefs. Is it that you really feel scared of doing this task alone? Do you doubt your own competency in fulfilling this task? Do you feel that the colleague is really more competent than you? 

Often we are unwilling to accept the reality of the answers to the above questions and unless we dig deep to understand and accept the reality we might never be able to understand our real emotions and will never be able to challenge the beliefs that cause us to react.

So understand the real reason for the Belief to know why you feel the way you feel and thus react the way you react.

The Close interaction of Human Psychology and Music- by Shruti Nair

“Music is a world within itself, with a Language we all understand”

-Stevie Wonder

Music is a language we all know of, some speak, and others listen. We all have a specific genre we can relate to and resort to from time-to-time. Music is found in every culture, past and present, varying widely between time and space. People from all over the world, even the most isolated tribals have a form of music as a part of their culture. Hence, it is safe to conclude that music has been a part of human history ever since it’s existence or maybe even before that. Music portrays sides of human psychology we all can relate to. Read the following fun facts of music and psychology.

1.)  What is the first musical instrument ever created?

Archaeologists suggest that the origin of music likely stems from naturally occurring sounds and rhythms and the first ever musical instrument was the human voice itself, which can make a vast array of sounds, from singing, humming and whistling through to clicking, coughing and yawning.


2.) Ever felt the chills down your spine after listening to a song?

A study by Nusbaum and Silvia(2010)  suggest that those who are high on the ‘Openness to Experience’ trait are likely to feel the most chills while listening to music. So, how powerful the effects of music are, depends on your personality and less on the music itself! People high in the ‘Openness to experience’ dimension also regard music as a very important part of their lives.


3.) Feeling down? Put on a good song and actively listen to it!

A research by Ferguson and Sheldon (2013) concluded that listening to upbeat music will lift your mood but only if you closely listen to the beats. Letting the music play in the background and wash over you will have no effects. Actively listening to a musical piece gives you the experience of emotional overwhelming because of the way the music is composed.


4.) Research conducted by psychologists Jason Rentfrow and Sam Gosling suggests that knowing the type of music you listen to can actually lead to surprisingly accurate predictions about your personality.

POP

Are your favourite sound tracks from Rhianna, Selena Gomez or Flo Rida?

Well, chances are you are extroverted, Honest and conventional. You are also hard working and have a high self-esteem. Research also suggests that coming up with out-of-the-box ideas aren’t your thing and you tend to be very restless.

Rap and Hip/Hop

Is Snoop Dog more of your style? People have a perception of Rap singers being high on aggressiveness when in reality there is no such thing. You are high on self esteem and almost always the life of the party.

Country

Do you listen to Bob Dylan or Taylor Swift? Country music listeners are typically hardworking, conventional and outgoing. While country songs are often centered on heartbreak, people who gravitate towards this genre tend to be emotionally very stable.

Rock/Heavy Metal

Are you worshipers of Iron Maiden or Lamb of God? Despite the sometimes aggressive image that rock music and heavy metal project, researchers found that fans of this style of music are usually quite gentle. They tend to be creative, but are often introverted and may suffer from low self-esteem.

Indie

Do you love seeking out obscure bands and indie artists? Fans of the indie genre are typically introverted, intellectual and creative. According to researchers, they also tend to be less hard-working and less gentle. Passivity, anxiousness and low self-esteem are other common personality characteristics.

Classical

Do you find yourself listening to more of Classical like Beatles? You are more introverted than the rest of them are at ease with the world around you. You also have a good sense of your own self esteem.

Jazz, Blues and Soul

Are the bands Weather Report or The Rolling Stones an integral part of your daily listening doses? People who enjoy jazz, blues or soul music were found to be more extraverted with high self-esteem. They also tend to be very creative, intelligent and at ease.


5.) What color do you see?


Across the world, people pair different types of colors with different genres of music.

In a research by Palmer et al. (2013) people across countries showed remarkable similarities in connecting duller, darker colors with sadder pieces of music and lighter, more vivid colors with happier music. Hence, you have the Blues!


6.) Did that song remind you of that person?

Music has a great impact on our visual memory. We associate music with the series of events that took place when we were most attentive to the song. Ever closed your eyes to a song and taken down memory lane? So, this effect of music is used as a tool in rehabilitation for stroke patients.

Next time you’re listening to your favourite song, think about what makes it your favourite one. You’re choice of music says a lot about you!

Happy 69th Independence Day India

E mere vatan ke logo,

jara aankh me bhar lo paani,

jo shahid hue hai unki, jara yaad karo kurbani...

This song was meant for those brave souls who fought for our freedom over sixty decades ago. Soldiers, revolutionaries, freedom fighters to whom we owe our freedom and to whom we shall always be indebted.

On the occasion of our 69^th Independence Day, we at Search 4 Excellence want to devote a few words to the incredible men who won us our freedom and to those who are protecting it to this day.

We salute all our heroes: Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and many more who won that Independence for us.

We are also be very grateful to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who made the Indian Constitution which describes our rights and duties and most importantly our freedom of expression.

We salute the inspiring and moving speech of our First Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru.

“Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment, we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.”

We salute the soldiers who fought the 1947/1948 war with Pakistan

 

We salute the soldiers who fought the 1962 Sino-Indian war with China

 We salute the soldiers who fought the 1965 war against Pakistan

We salute the soldiers who fought the 1971 war for the liberation of Bangladesh (East Pakistan then)

We salute the soldiers who fought the 1999 Kargil war

We salute the soldiers and men who protected us during the 25/11 Mumbai attacks

We salute the soldiers and men who protected us during the 2010 German Bakery attacks 

“and when all the wars are over, a butterfly will still be beautiful.” ― Ruskin Bond, Scenes from a Writer's Life

And so is India!! Still beautiful, still thriving, still developing and flourishing. And we hope, pray and firmly believe that we will continue down this path in the future so that the following vision of Rabindranath Tagore is fulfilled.

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake

Jai Hind Jai Bharat.

What it takes to be “The” Leader?

What it takes to be “The” Leader?

What is it that takes to be “The” leader? The world has pondered over this question since time immemorial. While pondering, we have also scrutinized and analysed the leaders that have existed. We love to criticize them and always hold onto the thought that we would turn out to be better leaders than our present leaders.

Think about it, doesn't everyone want to be a leader at least once? Unfortunately, we work under the impression that we are / will be good leaders. Because, this is fueled by our own “idea” of what a good leader is.

So, how do you find out if your “idea” is synonymous to the world’s idea? Well, we have highlighted 5 major skills or competencies that are the markings of a good leader. 

Shared Leadership

Being a leader is so much more than leading a team to achieve their goals. As a leader, your job is to know your organization’s vision and mission and constantly drive it within the team. To be a leader who is result oriented or profit oriented, you need to be able to connect with your team and counterparts at a personal level. You need to synergize partnerships with your stakeholders and most importantly, your customers. If you can create a bond with your customers then you can drive your team to please the customers as well. Being a leader is perceived as a solitary task and it sometimes is. However, a good leader will always bring people in together and then act rather than dictate what needs to be done. The central idea is be the leader who is a good follower.

Self Discovery

Who likes a leader who doesn't lead by example? It’s an age old wisdom that is often spoken but the meaning has become redundant. A leader is good only if s/he “Walks the Talks”. Live by your principles and preach them. Only then, will you have a team in sync with you. Be aware of your strengths and weakness. A leader is admired and respected if s/he accepts their limitations. Humility is a good trait to have in a leader. Be humble enough to open yourself up to learning new methods, but, always have passion to be the best. The key is to be humble and passionate which the team then perceives as approachable.

Supports People Development

Be a leader for the people. Easier said than done! Good leaders have good teams. Be a coach and mentor to your team. Empower by giving the space to explore and express. Demand excellence and motivate your team to constantly achieve more. However, in the end, be the leader who realizes that his or her team is humane and have issues far larger than work, as that’s the leader who is voted as the “best boss of the year”. 

Strives for Results

All the talk about being people oriented and discovering oneself is moot if you can’t drive results. It’s your task to set goals and find solutions. It’s your

responsibility to make decisions and execute them well. A leader is like the

captain of a ship, s/he needs to set a course, foresee problems and calamities and re – route the path accordingly. Lastly, deliver quality while meeting quantity. History proves that, a team that has delivered qualitative and quantitative results are valued more than teams with quantitative results only.

Strategic Innovation

Lastly, be a leader who lives, breathes and drives change. Don’t be the person who is comfortable with a system, so settles in and gets old living it. Be the change or be the one to help change. To state the cliché, change is the only permanent in life. You, as the leader, need to not only invite innovative ideas but also help your team to come up with ways to implement them.

In the end, be the captain who is approachable, humble, result oriented and drives change. To be an exceptional leader, use these 5 skills in tandem and you will have solutions to all problems you might face. Being a leader is easy, but being ‘The’ leader makes your team and you reach new heights.

THE SYMBIOTIC MODEL: NEXT MODEL OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Dynamics within organizations are fast changing. There is a vast difference in managerial and employee orientation in organizations. With the increase in young entrepreneurs, the need of the hour is changing drastically. Recruiters are now hunting for talent in innovation and creativity rather than just desired competencies. These changing trends call for a new model of organizational behavior which defines the intricacies of new organizations.

Organizational behavior has been present ever since the end of the Barter system and the start of the Feudal systems, although the term ‘organizational behavior’ was not coined until the 1950s. Models of organizational behavior have changed with the economic development in the world. The ever changing economic climate, now, demands a new model of organizational behavior.

The present state of the organizations

A leading magazine has published that the last decade has seen a sudden emergence of new, young entrepreneurs. Recruiters now are looking for talent that will take their organization further. The economy and technology is changing rapidly. With such changing times, it is necessary for employers to have a team of people with innovative and creative ideas. Organizations are now supporting new entrepreneurs instead of seeing them as a threat and waste for the company. Hence, the changing dynamics have opened gates for a new model of organizational behavior: The Symbiotic Model

 THE SYMBIOTIC MODEL

The Symbiotic model is based on a horizontal structure of organization where hierarchy is extinct. The components of the model are the organization and its partners who all work to accomplish a common goal. In this structure, the commitment felt only comes out of ‘symbiosis’. The partners and the organization trust each other with the divided work because each person has earned mastery in their field. Hence, there is no boss, only partners who are encouraged to give their ideas and suggestions.

The profit or the income is equally divided amongst the partners and each has a share of the organization in the market. The organization encourages its partners to open new ventures and businesses.

Basis of the model: This model is based on Autonomy. Every partner is responsible for his/her work. Thus would require people to have mastery in their field and the trust of the organization that ‘yes, the work will be the best’. Symbiotic model is based on a horizontal structure of organization; hence Autonomy is its key feature.

Managerial Orientation: The managerial orientation is partnership where the manager is present only to give support to start the work and later gains from the profit of the partner. The manager and partner work only till the time the apprenticeship is completed and then the partner is on his own.

Employee Orientation: The employee orientation is Ownership and Commitment. Since the worker or the partner has his own set-up, the partner is bound to take his work as his own baby. His sole responsibility is the completion of the work as no one else can do it.

Employee Psychological Result: Since the partners have a sense of commitment along with the reward of using one’s talent and earning every profit of it, the partner is left feeling Self-Actualized and content.

Employee needs met: According to the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, by now the partners are at the highest peak wherein all their needs are met. At this point, the partners will have the need to give back to the environment. The need is to create new things, bring about innovations and contribute in the progress of the world. The ‘creative’ need met here is the self-motivating drive that is almost non-exhaustible.

Performance Result: The resultant performance is that of beyond commitment. The partner is self driven and constantly making his/her own goals and contributing to the progress of the world through the progress of the organization and oneself.

The model of organizational behavior is in sync with developing technology and the changing need of the people. As the world’s wealth of knowledge increases, people will resist the hierarchy structure or the idea of ‘working under someone’.

In recent trends many companies are giving financial backing to their employees to start their own ventures. Companies like Google, Infosys are providing loans to their workers to contribute to the growing technology. With such growing trends, a horizontal structure of symbiosis is not far.

This study describes the upcoming trend in the organizations and its relations with its employees. It can be used to prepare oneself for the change and plan the organization to adapt to such changes. One must welcome such changes instead of resisting it; after all, history has shown us that organizations that resist change soon die out in this fast-changing world.

Hence, this study is a good start